03/03/2012

More Art-Cards: Card-making with an Artistic Flair

So the fabulous month-long Let's Scrap Blog Hop is over and I am in card-making withdrawal. I managed to juggle a busy work schedule, Valentine's weekend, an Academy Awards Party, doctor's appointments & all the other trappings of life and somehow squeezed out enough time to complete 18 cards. -Not much to boast about considering that so many others made the maximum 50 cards that were offered up in inspirational sketches on the various stops on the Hop, but honestly, I had a ball and am very proud of the artistic flair I gave my humble 18. I thought it would be fun to share some cards, along with the sketches that inspired them. This is one of my favorites. I made this card for my dear friend, Annelle (a very talented Penny Rug designer), who cared for my children during my Newport restaurant days, and played jazz for them every night during dinner. She and I enjoyed several Newport Jazz Festivals together, and this card plays tribute to those days. So this sketch, created by Debby D. of Let's Scrap was the one that inspired the layout for the card. Just to share the thought-process with you... First, I found the fabulous image of the jazz singer and the jazz musicians in the Curtain Call collection of the wonderful scrapbooking paper company, Graphic 45 and gathered all of the other elements that I planned to use.

I'm not sure what made me think of the sentiment, but Annelle is a highly spiritual person, and her heart is abundant with love, and she surrounds herself with music, so it fit: "Love is the Music of the Soul". I cut that out of red paper with my Cricket die-cutting machine. I also knew that it would make a stunning statement if I colored the songstress's lips in bright red glitter...it would emphasize the passion in her heart and add drama to the card. It was close to Valentine's Day, so adding the heart was a no-brainer. I covered that with the same red glitter, as well as the heart-shaped pin...and voila!

I guess my initial inspiration comes from the graphic images I find in my stash of scrapbooking supplies (that, or a great sentiment I might come across). It is only after I have an image in mind that I match it with a card sketch that will lead me in the direction of the final layout...at least that's how I operated during the February Blog Hop. This next card is a great example of that. I found a unique graphic of a bird flying over a botanical image (from Graphic 45's Botanicabella collection) and it just fit a quote that I particularly liked. "Nothing is too Wonderful to be Real"...isn't that the loveliest sentiment ever?

So I matched the idea to the sketch you see here on the left. There are no strict rules when it comes to sketch inspirations...the only rule is to use the sketch design as a guideline for the layout. The design can be flipped, inverted or altered in any way that suits the user. As you can see, I only used one sentiment, instead of the suggested three, but I used the idea of the three identical shapes (though in different proportions) in my design. I also raised the three square shapes on pop-dots to add interest and dimension. An interesting note about turning accidents into positive elements: The cool printed tissue tape on the far left was added because the card tore at the crease when I scored it a bit over-exuberantly. Also, the tear above the sentiment was originally not intentional -it was simply an accident. I decided that instead of trimming it straight, I would emphasize the tear by inking it. I then inked all my edges for balance and consitancy. -Often it's the "oops"-s of a project that will end up giving it depth and character. I really love the way this card turned out, don't you?

Cassie, if you're reading this...this card was inspired by you. Cassie has decided that she's had enough of Boston winter and has booked a flight to the Caribbean to get some "beach time". I've been dieing to make something with Graphic 45's Travelogue collection (which I won in as blog candy a couple of months ago) so it was the perfect motivation in combination with this card sketch:

The sketch is simple, which I love...it allows for creative tweaking & interpretation. (Incidentally, these were concerns when I first entered into "sketch" territory...I was afraid that using another's sketch for inspiration, or guidelines, or design, would somehow impair my own artistic sensibility or creativity. -But what I found was that it pushed me, instead, in areas of creativity that I may have otherwise not entered into and challenged me in ways that pushed me out of my comfort zone and encouraged me to see beyond my own limitations.)

So I picked my background paper and my graphic image...the sentiment was easy...the word "BEACH" said it all. I also wanted to add the lacey element that appeared on the sketch without being too "girlie" (which Cassie is not), so I simply used a paper punch to "imitate" the lace in the sketch. The only tricky piece was the "fussy cutting" of the Bird of Paradise flower that I thought the card needed for color balance. What do you think? I just love the colors and the textures and even the simplicity of this card.

I will end this post with my Oscar Party invitation. (I will post more cards really soon...I promise). Many of you know what an avid movie-buff I am. -Not sure why that is, but I LOVE the cinema! Every year I host an Oscar Party for my like-minded movie-loving friends. This year, my favorite movie was Hugo, by Martin Scorsese. I had a feeling that Hugo would do well at the Academy Awards, but that more than likely The Artist would win the coveted golden trophy (which is exactly what ended up happening). This following card, inspired by the sketch on the left, was a tribute to the silent era of Hollywood, as well as to these two amazing movies that honored it.

The images are, again, from Graphic 45 (it just so happens that their papers are exceptionally artistic and I find myself being highly inspired by them). The graphics I used were from the Curtain Call collection...the central image of the moon is one you might remember from Georges Mellie's movie, "La Voyage du la Lune"...and featured in Hugo. The filmstrip images of silent movie stars was a respectful nod, on my part, to the theme of The Artist. The image of the watch is also reminiscent of Hugo's theme. (It's fun to scroll back & forth between the sketch & the finished card to see what elements were adapted in what way.) -I think you'll love this:

So I think I will pause now & announce the winner of the LEAP 46 Blog Hop Candy. Here's Jim, pulling the winning name out of a hat:

And the winner is...(drum roll, please)...

CATHY!

Congratulations, Cathy! Please leave your address on the Let's Scrap website, or email it to me directly, and I will send the goodies right out to you.

More cards in my next post, stay tuned...

Hugs, Enikö

Comments

More Art-Cards: Card-making with an Artistic Flair

So the fabulous month-long Let's Scrap Blog Hop is over and I am in card-making withdrawal. I managed to juggle a busy work schedule, Valentine's weekend, an Academy Awards Party, doctor's appointments & all the other trappings of life and somehow squeezed out enough time to complete 18 cards. -Not much to boast about considering that so many others made the maximum 50 cards that were offered up in inspirational sketches on the various stops on the Hop, but honestly, I had a ball and am very proud of the artistic flair I gave my humble 18. I thought it would be fun to share some cards, along with the sketches that inspired them. This is one of my favorites. I made this card for my dear friend, Annelle (a very talented Penny Rug designer), who cared for my children during my Newport restaurant days, and played jazz for them every night during dinner. She and I enjoyed several Newport Jazz Festivals together, and this card plays tribute to those days. So this sketch, created by Debby D. of Let's Scrap was the one that inspired the layout for the card. Just to share the thought-process with you... First, I found the fabulous image of the jazz singer and the jazz musicians in the Curtain Call collection of the wonderful scrapbooking paper company, Graphic 45 and gathered all of the other elements that I planned to use.

I'm not sure what made me think of the sentiment, but Annelle is a highly spiritual person, and her heart is abundant with love, and she surrounds herself with music, so it fit: "Love is the Music of the Soul". I cut that out of red paper with my Cricket die-cutting machine. I also knew that it would make a stunning statement if I colored the songstress's lips in bright red glitter...it would emphasize the passion in her heart and add drama to the card. It was close to Valentine's Day, so adding the heart was a no-brainer. I covered that with the same red glitter, as well as the heart-shaped pin...and voila!

I guess my initial inspiration comes from the graphic images I find in my stash of scrapbooking supplies (that, or a great sentiment I might come across). It is only after I have an image in mind that I match it with a card sketch that will lead me in the direction of the final layout...at least that's how I operated during the February Blog Hop. This next card is a great example of that. I found a unique graphic of a bird flying over a botanical image (from Graphic 45's Botanicabella collection) and it just fit a quote that I particularly liked. "Nothing is too Wonderful to be Real"...isn't that the loveliest sentiment ever?

So I matched the idea to the sketch you see here on the left. There are no strict rules when it comes to sketch inspirations...the only rule is to use the sketch design as a guideline for the layout. The design can be flipped, inverted or altered in any way that suits the user. As you can see, I only used one sentiment, instead of the suggested three, but I used the idea of the three identical shapes (though in different proportions) in my design. I also raised the three square shapes on pop-dots to add interest and dimension. An interesting note about turning accidents into positive elements: The cool printed tissue tape on the far left was added because the card tore at the crease when I scored it a bit over-exuberantly. Also, the tear above the sentiment was originally not intentional -it was simply an accident. I decided that instead of trimming it straight, I would emphasize the tear by inking it. I then inked all my edges for balance and consitancy. -Often it's the "oops"-s of a project that will end up giving it depth and character. I really love the way this card turned out, don't you?

Cassie, if you're reading this...this card was inspired by you. Cassie has decided that she's had enough of Boston winter and has booked a flight to the Caribbean to get some "beach time". I've been dieing to make something with Graphic 45's Travelogue collection (which I won in as blog candy a couple of months ago) so it was the perfect motivation in combination with this card sketch:

The sketch is simple, which I love...it allows for creative tweaking & interpretation. (Incidentally, these were concerns when I first entered into "sketch" territory...I was afraid that using another's sketch for inspiration, or guidelines, or design, would somehow impair my own artistic sensibility or creativity. -But what I found was that it pushed me, instead, in areas of creativity that I may have otherwise not entered into and challenged me in ways that pushed me out of my comfort zone and encouraged me to see beyond my own limitations.)

So I picked my background paper and my graphic image...the sentiment was easy...the word "BEACH" said it all. I also wanted to add the lacey element that appeared on the sketch without being too "girlie" (which Cassie is not), so I simply used a paper punch to "imitate" the lace in the sketch. The only tricky piece was the "fussy cutting" of the Bird of Paradise flower that I thought the card needed for color balance. What do you think? I just love the colors and the textures and even the simplicity of this card.

I will end this post with my Oscar Party invitation. (I will post more cards really soon...I promise). Many of you know what an avid movie-buff I am. -Not sure why that is, but I LOVE the cinema! Every year I host an Oscar Party for my like-minded movie-loving friends. This year, my favorite movie was Hugo, by Martin Scorsese. I had a feeling that Hugo would do well at the Academy Awards, but that more than likely The Artist would win the coveted golden trophy (which is exactly what ended up happening). This following card, inspired by the sketch on the left, was a tribute to the silent era of Hollywood, as well as to these two amazing movies that honored it.

The images are, again, from Graphic 45 (it just so happens that their papers are exceptionally artistic and I find myself being highly inspired by them). The graphics I used were from the Curtain Call collection...the central image of the moon is one you might remember from Georges Mellie's movie, "La Voyage du la Lune"...and featured in Hugo. The filmstrip images of silent movie stars was a respectful nod, on my part, to the theme of The Artist. The image of the watch is also reminiscent of Hugo's theme. (It's fun to scroll back & forth between the sketch & the finished card to see what elements were adapted in what way.) -I think you'll love this:

So I think I will pause now & announce the winner of the LEAP 46 Blog Hop Candy. Here's Jim, pulling the winning name out of a hat:

And the winner is...(drum roll, please)...

CATHY!

Congratulations, Cathy! Please leave your address on the Let's Scrap website, or email it to me directly, and I will send the goodies right out to you.